


Apartment 7C Drabbles

by SakuraBlossomStorm



Series: Apartment 7C Universe [2]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Apartment AU, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Meet-Cute, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-09-14 01:12:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 13,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9150184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraBlossomStorm/pseuds/SakuraBlossomStorm
Summary: A series of drabbles focusing around the Apartment 7C universe.





	1. First Night Back Together

**Author's Note:**

> I've got a couple of these planned already, but after I put up Apartment 7C I got a request from an anon on tumblr for Leslie and Ben's first smutty night together after he returns, and I couldn't resist! 
> 
> These probably won't be in order, and will cover from them being friends to where they are now and the future too.

Things were different.

Leslie loved the way Ben felt in between her thighs. Because every time he buried himself in her, it always took her breath away, and he always found new ways to surprise her.

But today, it was like finding and discovering his body for the first time all over again. 

As he kicked the door close with his foot and refused to let go of her body until her legs hit the back of the bed and they both tumbled against her mattress.

The mascara that she hadn’t taken off yet from work had smudged a little around her eyes from crying, her hair tied up in a messy bun, and she was now very much aware of her Garfield shirt that she was still wearing. But she didn’t care, and neither did Ben. By the way he grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head he had already decided that it looked better on the floor anyway.

Her bra came next, causing Ben to growl and lean into her chest. He devoured her breasts like he wasn’t sure where his next meal was going to come from, making Leslie gasp and push into him slightly.

It had been two months of not being able to worship her breasts, and he had a lot to catch up on.

He could have stayed there all night long, buried in between her breasts, sucking and kissing the mounds while feeling her heart beat, but Leslie was crying out for more, begging for him to be inside her.

She tugged at his pants, cupping at his growing erection and Ben moaned loudly, finally discarding of his pants and shirt.

“Patience” he whispered to her, and Leslie shivered.

Ben trailed kisses along her stomach and towards her pants, he pulled them off and swallowed hard at the sight of her, wet and ready.

“Fuck. I’ve missed you so much” he growled low in his throat as he lowered his head and took a long lick at her centre.

For the second time that night, words failed Leslie. There were only sounds that came out of her mouth as Ben worked between her thighs, kissing and sucking her clit as she felt herself climb into a euphoric state.

Stars burst in her eyes and she saw galaxies combust as she grinded against his face. It was heavenly the way he made her feel, and she never thought that she’d feel like that ever again after Ben left.

And after her orgasm came to an end, the thought made her suddenly start crying again.

Ben sat up and crawled over towards her, wiping a stray tear on her cheek away with his thumb. “Hey, are you okay?”

Leslie nodded as a sob escaped her lips and she reached up, running her hands through his messy hair and trailing her hand down to his cheek, and gently scraping along his stubble, as if she couldn’t quite believe that he was here in front of her and wanted to burn the feel of him onto her fingertips forever.

“You’re here” she finally choked out, and Ben smiled.

“I’m not going anywhere, babydoll,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her. Leslie could taste herself on his tongue and the tears were soon forgotten about as Ben pushed inside of her.

It was different, but so, so special. And a night Leslie would never forget as long as she lived.


	2. Game Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben play Monopoly when he gets sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a prompt sent in by supervanillabear31, and this prompt list inspired me to create 'Apartment 7C'! So without that, this whole universe never would have existed! 
> 
> I tried to look up the American version of Monopoly (since the UK version is different) so sorry if it's a little inaccurate! 
> 
> This is set before they get together, when Leslie comes over to look after Ben when he gets sick in Apartment 7C

_8:34pm._

“Alright. I’m getting bored” Leslie announced, sitting up slightly.

“I’m sorry” Ben grunted from underneath the blanket. “Do you want to go back to yours?”

“No, don’t be silly. I’m going to stay here and take care of you, I told you. But can we at least do something? You haven’t puked in like four hours so surely you must be feeling a little better?” Leslie said as she curled her legs around her, tucking them under.

Ben pursed his lips. Sure the vomiting had subsided but he just felt so exhausted and like he wouldn’t be able to move for a good week or so. But he should probably do something to take his mind off his thoughts moving in double time around his brain.

Because Leslie was here, she was taking care of him while he was sick and wanted to stay with him.

“We can do something,” Ben mumbled, sitting up slightly. “As long as it’s nothing too physical.”

“I’ve got monopoly” Leslie smiled. “We can have a fun game of that?”

Ben nodded, and Leslie jumped up excitedly to grab the board game from her place. Sure he would’ve preferred ‘Settlers of Catan’ but it wouldn’t be fair to play that, especially since he was nationally ranked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_9.59pm_

“Dammit” Ben groaned as he moved his battleship figure onto Atlantic Avenue and Leslie cheered happily.

“Yes! That’s my property and you owe me 22 bucks, Wyatt” She exclaimed, holding her hand out excitedly to receive the fake money.

“Alright, alright” Ben said as he handed it over to her. “It’s not exactly breaking the bank so don’t get too excited.”

“No” Leslie replied. “But when I get all the yellow properties it will be, I just need one more. Then I can start putting houses on it.”

Ben just grinned and handed over the dice for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_11:29pm_

“Ok, ok, how about if I give you Pacific Avenue, the Electric Company and $100?” Leslie asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

“No chance, sweetheart” Ben chuckled as he shook his head.

Leslie swore loudly and threw her head back. “I hate this game!” She snapped.

Ben had landed on Marvin Gardens and claimed it for his own about fifteen minutes ago. And now he was battling with Leslie, who was desperately trying to negotiate a trade with him for the last yellow property she had hoped to get.

“You know when we used to play this when we were younger my parents banned all trades from happening” Ben said he watched Leslie pout and sorted through her cards to find a better one to trade with. “They used to cause all sorts of arguments.”

“Yeah I can see why” Leslie snarled as she glared up at him. “But it would be so much more beneficial for you if you just gave me the card!” 

Ben grinned. “No way, I’m in it to win it!”

Leslie scowled. “You’ll regret saying that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_01:52am._

“That’s…$450 you owe me!” Leslie cheered happily after Ben had landed on St. Charles Place with 3 houses on it. 

Ben growled in frustration and started mortgaging his properties so he could give Leslie the rent. “This is not far at all.”

“You know what? I’ll wave the fee,” Leslie said with a soft smile.

Ben raised his eyebrow. “Really? What’s the catch?”

“…If you give me Marvin Gardens?”

“There’s no way in hell!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

_02:35am._

“Fuck!” Leslie hissed as she landed on Indiana Avenue, which currently had a tiny bright red hotel on it. Ben had managed to claim all of the reds and built hotels on them. 

She looked up at him, expecting to see his smug face smirking, as he demanded his money. But to Leslie’s surprise, his face was pressed against the pillows and he was snoring softly.

Leslie suddenly remembered that he was still quite sick, and sleep had clearly decided it was time to take over. 

Quietly, she packed up the board game and then tucked the purple blanket around him to keep him warm. This jolted Ben slightly and he opened a bleary eye.

“L’slie?”

“Ssh, go back to sleep” she whispered, “you need it.”

Ben, seemingly forgetting all about the game closed his eyes again. “Okay” he mumbled and was soon snoring once again.

Leslie smiled and walked towards the door, silently hoping that Ben really had forgotten about the game, because if he were still awake after her last move, she would have most definitely lost. And she hated losing.


	3. 'Oh! Hey'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie invites Ben over to try some food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt sent in by supervanillabear31!
> 
> This is set before they got together and when Leslie is still with Dave.

Something smelt really good.

The smell drifted into Ben’s apartment and towards his desk where he was doing some evening work for Colquitt’s campaign, and caused him to stop working and look up.

Good lord, what was that smell? It smelt savoury and nourishing, and soon Ben’s stomach was rumbling, reminding him that he still hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

He stood up and grabbed his coat, during his first few weeks of living here he soon realised that there was a pretty great Italian place not too far away that did the best calzones he had ever had.

And he loved calzones to death.

As he stepped out of his apartment, he heard the door click opposite him and saw Leslie poke her head around. She looked adorable with her hair scraped back in a messy bun and a floral apron around her front.

“Oh, good it’s you! I’m glad I caught you” she exclaimed as she reached out and tugged at Ben’s arm. “Can you come here and see if this tastes ok?”

So that’s where that delectable smell was coming from? 

“Uh, sure” Ben said as he let Leslie drag him into her place, his heart panging as they moved.

She led him over to her stove, where there was a large pot with what looked like a stew bubbling away inside. She grabbed a spoon and dipped it into the hot liquid and raised it up to his lips.

“Blow, it’s hot,” she said as she held it towards him.

“Are you sure this isn’t going to poison me?” he teased and she scowled.

“Not at all! I just need your opinion” Leslie said, nudging him gently as to not spill the spoonful.

Ben lowered his lips and blew several times on the spoon and then opened his mouth to taste the dish. His taste buds almost exploded as the sauce made impact. It was delicious, salty and with just the right amount of spice.

“Good lord” Ben said as he swallowed. “That’s tasty, what is it?”

“Chicken casserole” Leslie said proudly. “I’m making it for Dave tonight, it’s our anniversary.”

Those words went through Ben like a knife. She might as well called him over here to boil his head and serve it up for dinner. He forced a smile and patted her shoulder.

“Well, he’ll love it. It’s really yummy, and I could smell it from my apartment, so I’m insanely jealous that you get to eat this tonight” Ben said, his heart sagging in sadness.

“Thanks” Leslie beamed at him. “Phew, I was worried about it, I just want tonight to be perfect, and I thought I added too much seasoning.”

Ben shook his head, “no, it’s great, don’t worry at all. But if you’ll excuse me, thanks to your amazing cooking, I’m not starving and need to get some dinner for myself.”

Leslie thanked him again as he left and told him that she’d try and keep some leftovers, but as Ben walked down the hall towards the lift, he couldn’t help but wish that it was him sat in her apartment, about to feast on her cooking.

That calzone suddenly seemed so plain after eating that.

The next morning there was a Tupperware container on his doorstep, containing a portion of the casserole and a note to say thank you.


	4. 'My Parents are coming over'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben prepares for his parents to come and meet Leslie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt by supervanillabear31! 
> 
> This is set after Apartment 7C ends.

“Okay, so the apartment is clean, there’s champagne in the refrigerator, and…you are naked” Ben said, eyes wide as he took in the sight of Leslie stepping out of his bathroom butt naked.

“I am” Leslie smiled at him.

Ben clapped his hands together and frowned. “Not that I don’t love this, and trust me I do. But my parents are coming over in ten minutes so please put some clothes on.”

“But, babe. I think you need to relax” Leslie told him as she ran her hands up his arms.

Ben had been pretty uptight all day today, because his parents were flying in from Minnesota. Together, at the same time.

And they’ve been bitterly divorced for twenty years.

But they were both curious to meet the woman that made Ben give up a career he loved and finally settle down, it took a lot of planning but they finally agreed to be civil and be in the same room together for at least an hour so they could see Ben’s new place, meet Leslie and take them both out for a celebratory meal.

He had organised two separate taxis to pick them up from the airport, thankfully Ben’s mom’s plane came in twenty minutes early and she would arrive before, so Ben could have a stern word with her to remind her that he really liked this girl, so to stay civil and remain civil. He’d pull his father to the side later and tell him the same thing.

Leslie could tell he was anxious and had hoped to…relieve him before they arrived. But ten minutes didn’t really give her much time. Her hair and makeup was all done, it was just a case of putting on that nice blue dress that she and Ann picked out for the occasion. 

But maybe stripping naked and pushing it for time wasn’t exactly the best way to keep Ben happy right now, he wanted tonight to go perfectly, and she needed to keep him as calm and happy as possible.

She reached up and kissed his lips before going back into the bathroom, soon returning in her dress, and Ben smiled.

“Thank you” he said, wrapping her up in his arms. “Sorry I’ve been a grump. It’s just my parents have a habit of ruining nice occasions, so ideally I would have liked to of avoided this. But they are really keen on meeting you, and they have every right to, because you are amazing, and I love you.”

Leslie smiled softly, adjusting his tie and kissing his cheek. “I love you too, and don’t worry, they’ll be fine. I’ve brushed up on my knowledge of your dad’s favourite hockey team and we got your mom’s favourite brand of wine in, trust me, tonight will be wonderful, and if not we can just hide in my apartment until they leave.”

Ben smiled lovingly at her “what did I do to deserve someone as wonderful as you?” he asked.

Leslie beamed and broke away from him, holding her hand out for him to take. “You are such a sap, but how about we pop open one of the bottles of champagne? I think you could do with a drink.”

“Please” Ben said as he took Leslie’s hand and followed her into the kitchen.


	5. 'Sweet Dreams.'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie can't sleep, so she calls Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a prompt sent in by supervanillabear31, thanks for the prompt!
> 
> This is set before they get together in the Apartment 7C universe.

The vibrating of his phone on the bedside table woke Ben up from his slumber. He grunted in discomfort, thinking it was the alarm at first, but relished in the fact that it was still only 2 AM according to the clock radio.

He picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID, and frowned.

Leslie.

He quickly answered it “L’slie? You okay?” He said hoarsely.

“Yeah. I can’t sleep” Leslie’s voice replied down the phone. “What are you doing?”

“Sleeping, funnily enough” Ben said as he rubbed his eyes.

Leslie giggled “Oh. Right. Sorry.”

Leslie calling Ben had become more and more frequent after her break up with Dave. When he returned to Pawnee after spending Christmas in Minnesota, she would either come over or call him to chat. Ben just assumed she might be lonely.

“What’s up?” Ben asked, shifting onto his side.

“I don’t know…I just can’t sleep” Leslie sighed. “I’ve cleaned the apartment, baked some cookies, took a shower and I still can’t wind down.”

Ben smiled softly “Do you want me to come over?” He asked.

He really hoped she said no. Not that he didn’t want to go over there and make sure she was ok, it was just that he was so comfortable and really didn’t want to move.

He heard Leslie moving down the phone “No, don’t worry.”

Ben frowned “Okay, how about you come over to mine?”

Leslie was silent for a few minutes before replying “No. I’m pretty comfortable actually. I don’t want to move.”

Ben chuckled “Can you keep a secret? I’m really comfortable too, so I was really hoping you would say no.”

A rush of warmth spread through him when he heard Leslie laugh in response, and then give a small sigh. “I guess I am feeling a little sleepy, maybe I just needed to talk to someone.”

“That’s understandable” Ben said. “And you know I’m always here for you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But my office hours are from 9 AM to 7 PM, so next time I’ll ignore your calls” He joked and Leslie gasped.

“You’re so mean!” She whined and Ben just smirked.

“Promise me you are going to try and get some sleep?” Ben asked and Leslie grunted in reply.

“I’ll try. But I can’t promise anything” Leslie mumbled.

“Alright. Well, goodnight, Leslie” Ben said softly.

“Goodnight, Ben…Sweet dreams.”

As Ben placed his phone back on the side, a pang of sadness flooded through him. Because now all he wanted to do was run across the hall, kick down her door and climb into bed with her, soothing her into a peaceful sleep.

She’d sleep if he was next to her, he decided.


	6. "Despite what you think, I am completely capable of taking care of myself,"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben helps Leslie clean out her apartment. Extended scene from 'Apartment 7C.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to supervanillabear31 for the prompt!

“We are starting with these” Ben said, gesturing to the multiple birdhouses on Leslie’s dining table. “We live in an apartment building. On the seventh floor. You do not need birdhouses.”

“They aren’t for me. They’re for the City Hall” Leslie pouted; trying to defend all the hard work she had put in making the birdhouses. “I want to put them out in the courtyard so that we get more birds there, rather than all the pigeons that currently gather there.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Alright. Can we move them to storage at City Hall?”

“I guess” Leslie mumbled. “But I like looking at them.”

“I know” Ben replied. “But we are supposed to be cleaning up your apartment, so you don’t get another health code violation.”

Leslie winced. “Ron told you about that huh?”

“He asked if he knew what I was getting myself in to by helping you” Ben smirked. “To be honest, I’ve spent enough time over here to see for myself.”

He chuckled when he saw Leslie’s face drop, and she folded her arms and stomped her foot like an adorably grumpy toddler. “Despite what you think I am completely capable of looking after myself.”

“Oh, I have not doubts in that, I mean a regular person couldn’t survive in this. But it’s also not healthy to live like this” Ben told her, as he picked up stacks of magazines that were dated 1998. “Now, are you going to stand there and pout or are you going to help me?”

“I’m not pouting.”

“You’re pouting a little” Ben commented, and the immediately dodged a pillow Leslie threw at his head.

“Come on” he said to her. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner you’ll have a nice clean, hazard free apartment.”

Leslie sighed and picked up a box in the corner and started packing up the birdhouses. “Fine. But I like you a lot less, Wyatt.”

Ben just shook his head and smiled.


	7. "Please come home; I miss you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben moves out of his place in Washington.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to supervanillabear31 for the prompt.

_‘Please come home. I miss you.’_

Ben could only grin as he read the text on his phone. Leslie had been texting him every hour on the hour, telling him to come home. He would, soon enough. But for the moment he was in his old place in D.C, packing up his apartment so he could move back.

To Pawnee, to home.

“I promised myself I wouldn’t cry today” His roommate, Chris said as he packed away Ben’s extensive DVD collection “but I have already broken that five times today.”

Ben patted Chris on the back. Chris was thrilled for his friend, but was going to miss him as a roommate. And Ben would miss Chris too, other than his need for forcing Ben to take vitamins all the time.

“You can come visit. I know Leslie would be happy to meet you” Ben told Chris, and he smiled.

“That would _literally_ make me the happiest man ever” Chris beamed at him, and then promptly burst into tears, collapsing into Ben’s arms and hiccupping loudly.

“Oh…there, there, buddy. Let it out” Ben mumbled as he awkwardly comforted Chris.

~~

“You’re back!” Leslie squealed as she darted through the crowds at the airport, pouncing on top of Ben and nearly knocking him over.

“I missed you so much” Leslie cried as she hugged Ben with all the strength she could muster. “Why did you have to take so long to pack up an apartment?” 

“I’m sorry, babydoll. But I’m here now” He said, kissing her passionately, not caring that there were about thirty eyes on them right now.

He told Leslie about Chris on the drive back to the apartment block. How Chris cried in total about fourteen times, and how he had recently been in therapy for manic depression, and felt a little alone, and how Ben leaving wasn’t exactly the best thing.

Leslie sighed as she pulled into the parking lot. “Now I feel bad for telling you to come back, you should have taken a week there and made sure he was ok.”

“He’ll be fine” Ben reassured her. “He’s got plenty of friends out in D.C, and I told him he could come and visit.”

“He’s more than welcome any time,” Leslie said. “But not all the time, because I want to be able to jump your bones whenever I want and not be interrupted by your friend.”

They climbed out of the car and Ben dragged his suitcase out, while Leslie took his carry on bag for him. All his other stuff would come by moving van tomorrow. 

As they climbed out of the elevator once it arrived at the seventh floor, Leslie told him how Ann had been on a string of dates and nothing seemed to work out. There had been several guys that hit on her during a girls night out, but they were all weird, one guy even said that Ann was pretty, but not as pretty as his sister.

It wasn’t until after they got into Ben’ apartment, and clothes were ripped off and bodies pressed together when it came to him.

“Hey” He said, nudging Leslie slightly. They were lying in the middle of his bed after amazing welcome back sex and Leslie was dropping in and out of sleep.

“Mm?” Leslie mumbled, looking up at him with one eye open.

“What do you think about setting Ann and Chris up?” Ben asked.

Leslie sat up a little and pursed her lips. “Do you think they’ll like each other?”

“Why not? They’re both good looking, and they have two great best friends, and one of those best friends has an adorable face and a great rack.” Ben grinned as he buried his face into Leslie’s bare chest, causing her to cackle loudly.

“It could work” Leslie mused, after she managed to push Ben away. “But he still lives in D.C.”

“We could invite him to stay, and take him out with us and Ann. And then we’ll subtly nudge them together from there.”

Leslie smiled at Ben and kissed his lips. “I like that idea. And if Chris is anything like what you’ve said, I think he’d be great for Ann. But I’m going to be critical. We need to make sure he really is the perfect guy for the wonderful Ann Meredith Perkins.”

“Of course, if you approve, we’ll hook them up” Ben said, kissing the top of her head and pulling her closer.


	8. You're fucking hot when you're mad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie gets upset when Chris is late for his date with Ann.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a prompt sent in by anon on tumblr, enjoy!
> 
> This is a continuation from the previous chapter.

“This is a disaster,” Leslie cried out, waving her arms around dramatically. “This is the worst thing that could happen in the entire universe.”

Ben could do nothing but watch as Leslie vented. She stormed up and down the path in front of him angrily cursing the world.

“She’s in there, all alone, wondering where the hell her date is, and we’ve set her up for an embarrassment” Leslie growled as she clenched her fists together.

Tonight was the night where Ann was going on her first date with Chris. Since Ben came up with the idea two weeks ago, Leslie had suggested it to Ann and Ben passed her number on to Chris. The pair started texting and calling each other and tonight, after work, Chris was to fly to Indianapolis and take her out for a date.

Only he didn’t show up.

It wasn’t his fault. The flight was delayed, and on top of that there was a three-car pile up on the freeway to get out of the airport. But the way Leslie was talking you would have thought that the airline conspired with the driver to cause all these inconveniences.

However, like a true gentleman, Chris was sure to update Ann on his whereabouts. This led to Ann texting Leslie to let her know that Chris was late and that he’d be here soon.

But she already knew. She had been peering through the window of the restaurant, watching her to make sure she was safe. Ben was against the idea, he told her to let Ann and Chris be and she’d hear about it the next morning. But Leslie insisted. She just wanted to make sure that her friend was safe.

“Are you glad we came here now? Because my poor, beautiful Ann Perkins is sat there on her own and…oh no…Ben, she’s drinking wine! Ben, she’s sat, alone, drinking wine. Oh god. No that’s it, I’m going in” Leslie ranted as she tried to move towards the door, however Ben grabbed her hand and tried to wrangle her in.

“Leave her, it will be fine, Chris will be here soon and things will hopefully go smoothly. You bursting in there now won’t make things any better” Ben explained.

Leslie huffed and grinded her teeth.

“Leslie, please don’t grind your teeth, trust me on this. It will be fine” Ben told her, trying to soothe her by toying with a curl that had fallen in front of her face.

“I am not going to stand here while _your_ friend stands up my best friend” Leslie hissed. “He should be trying anything and everything to get here, for Christ sake he should have sprouted wings and flown here himself!”

Ben could only chuckle as he wrapped his rage induced girlfriend into his arms. Leslie grumbled and tried to pull away but Ben refused to let her go, taking his little fireball in and calming her down.

“Relax, Leslie. He’ll be here soon,” Ben said, stroking her head.

“He better be” Leslie growled as Ben let her go. “If he doesn’t then he and you have a lot of explaining to…he’s here! Oh my god he’s here!”

“What?” Ben tried to turn around to make sure, but it was too late, Leslie had grabbed hold of him and pushed into a nearby bush, hiding the both of them.

Sure enough, Chris strode up to the restaurant and walked inside. Leslie and Ben scrambled out of the bush and hurried back to the window, just to see Chris walk over and introduce himself.

“Ann Perkins?”

Ann quickly put down her wine glass and swallowed her sip “Yeah…Chris, right?”

“Correct!” Chris beamed as Ann stood up and he gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. “I am extremely sorry that I’m so late, I’ve literally had a hellish time getting her tonight.”

“Oh that’s fine” Ann waved him off. “These things happen.”

“Well. I’d like to make it up to you now? Do you like champagne?” Chris asked and Ann nodded profusely, causing Chris to signal the waiter over and order them a bottle.

“Can I just say” Chris continued. “I heard from Ben and Leslie that you were beautiful but…their words didn’t do you justice. You are…exquisite.”

“ _My_ words don’t do her justice?” Leslie repeated in fury. “How dare he!”

Ben rolled his eyes and took her hands in his. “See? They are getting on just fine, I think we should go home and let them enjoy their date. Plus I really want to get you into bed.”

Leslie’s eyes widened. “Really? Where did this come from?”

“I can’t help it, you’re so fucking hot when you’re mad and all passionate about helping people” Ben grinned as he rubbed circles against her hip.

Leslie felt her cheeks grow hot. “Alright, let’s leave them to it” she said as she eagerly led Ben back towards her car.


	9. 'You come to my room and wake me up and 4am, to cuddle?'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie doesn't like living in separate apartments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to pawneewafflesben for the prompt!

“Ben?”

“Holy crap!”

Ben woke with a start when he heard the sound of his name. He scrambled to the edge of the bed and turned on the lamp next to it to come face to face with Leslie.

“What are you doing here?” Ben asked, clutching at his chest.

“I couldn’t sleep with you” Leslie mumbled, curling into his chest. “I know I have that big presentation tomorrow and you have that interview but…I just wanted to be with you tonight.”

Ben sighed. He had suggested tonight that Leslie spent the night at her place, while Ben slept in his own bed as they both had important days at work. Leslie would be presenting to the zoning board for her idea to turn the lot outside the apartment building into a park, and Ben would be going for a job interview at an accounting firm. 

He had spent a month or so off work and enjoying unemployment life and also moving back in officially to apartment 7C, but now it was time to go back to work. The only thing that sucked was the small distance between him and Leslie.

It was getting a little awkward having to spend one night at her place and then one at his. Even though they were just across the hall it was still a pain in the ass. 

He grinned as she got herself comfortable. “You come to me and wake me up at 4am, to cuddle?” he asked, and Leslie giggled.

“Yeah, is that okay?”

“Of course” He said as he wrapped his arms around Leslie.

But it still bothered him, how there were nights that they did spend apart. And her stuff being in one place and his in another. He hated it.

He wasn’t sure whether it was delusion from being tired and woken up so early, but he couldn’t control what came out of his mouth next.

“Move in with me?”

Leslie looked up at him with wide eyes. “What did you say?”

“You heard. Move in with me” Ben said again, a little assertive this time.

The ghost of a smile crept on Leslie’s mouth. “Move in with you?”

“Yeah. You can move in here or I can move in with you. Whatever you want,” Ben said as he sat up, clasping her hands in his. “I hate not living with you, even if you are just across the hall. We love each other and I’m deadly serious about this. Move in with me?”

Leslie couldn’t hide her glee anymore, and she pounced on him, attacking his mouth with her own and kissing with all the intensity she could muster.

“Of course I will! Let’s move in here! I always preferred your place anyway,” Leslie babbled excitedly.

Ben smiled and kissed her again, pulling her onto his lap and stroking the back of her head.

“But no birdhouses or piles of magazines. We’re keeping this place clean, got it?” He ordered strictly and Leslie cackled.

“Anything, anything for you! I’m just so happy! We’re moving in together!” Leslie cried out, pouncing on him again.

They’d both be tired for their important days at work, but in that blissful moment, Leslie and Ben didn’t care at all.


	10. 'You're lucky you're cute.'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben's first morning living together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt sent in by pawneewafflesben!

It took about a week but soon; apartment 7B was on the market, looking for new tenants. Ben and Leslie spent the weekend moving everything from Leslie’s apartment into Ben’s and organising it to their taste.

Leslie went to Ron the evening after Ben asked her to move in and told him about her moving. He pulled out a bottle of Lagavulin and toasted to congratulate her. He was there too, helping them drag boxes across the hall.

Now it was Sunday morning. Ben was dozing happily in the early morning sun. Yesterday was extremely hard work, and his back ached like hell. But she was here, lying next to him in bed and wrapped around him. She didn’t have to go across the hall to change her clothes; they were all in a chest of drawers in the bedroom.

 _Their_ bedroom.

Leslie was so excited to spend the first full day in her and Ben’s place, she found herself getting restless, and poking Ben in the face, eager to wake him up.

Ben grunted at the interruption from his Game of Thrones inspired dream where he was sitting on the Iron Throne and opened a bleary eye.

“What?”

“I’m bored. Let’s make pancakes?” Leslie chimed happily, leaning on his chest.

Ben groaned and checked the clock on his bedside table. “Really? It’s 6:30…on a Sunday.”

“I know but I’m just so excited to be here, and then I got hungry, and now I want pancakes. So let’s get up and cook our first breakfast as a couple that are living together” Leslie smiled at him.

Ben rubbed his eyes with his right hand and sighed. “You’re lucky you’re cute” he mumbled as he sat up, shifting Leslie off him and slowly climbing out of bed with a loud yawn.

Leslie clapped excitedly as she watched Ben slowly drag his weary feet into the kitchen, and she quickly bounded out to follow him, wrapping her arms around his waist as he measured out the ingredients.

Oh yes. Living together was going to be just perfect.


	11. Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben both have news for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set two years after Ben first meets Leslie.

_Oh God._

This wasn’t happening.

This so wasn’t happening right now.

“I can’t believe it” Ben said happily, pulling off his tie and tossing it over the couch. “I mean it sucks I’ll have to leave the guys at the accounting firm, but still, it’s great news, right?”

Ben had come home that day with great news. Jen Barkley, and old colleague from his days in Washington called him with a new job opportunity. They were opening a political consultant base in Indiana and wanted Ben to run it. He’d oversee campaigns while staying in Pawnee, it was a no brainer, he had to say yes.

Which would have been great if Leslie didn’t have some news of her own.

Now she sat at the dining room table, anxiously looking over plans for building a park outside their apartment building that had recently been passed for approval and construction could start next week, trying not to think about it.

“Jen said I’ll have to do maybe a week or so a month in D.C, for meetings and stuff, but that’s cool, right? You can come with me!” Ben carried on excitedly, leaning on the back of a chair while he beamed at Leslie. “You’ll love D.C, Les. It’s everything you’d hope it to be.”

Leslie forced a smile. “That sounds great, honey.”

She looked back at her plans and tried to think of the beautiful park she was going to build. The park with blooming flowerbeds and tall, green trees, and swings were kids could…

Tears pricked in her eyes. No, not now. Not while Ben was so happy.

She swiped them away quickly, trying to think of anything else to stop the tears, puppies, waffles, anything. But the tears were coming in full force, streaming down her cheeks.

Ben was oblivious, and carried on talking about how he was going to earn so much more money doing this job than accounting, and how he was to eager to get back into campaigning.

It wasn’t until Leslie let out a small sniff that he stopped and turned, a shock expression crept over his face when he realised she was crying.

“Whoa, hey, what’s wrong?” Ben quickly asked, hurrying to her side. “Are you okay? Did you have a bad day or something?”

Leslie quickly shook her head, wiping her cheeks. “N-no. I’m sorry I’m just…”

She took a deep breath and looked up at Ben, tears glistening in her eyes, making her aquamarine orbs stand out even more so.

“I’m pregnant, Ben.”

Ben’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You…you’re pregnant?”

Leslie nodded. “I found out this morning, I’ve felt sick for a while and my period was like three weeks late…I went to the doctor with Ann and…” She trailed off as more tears poured down her face.

Ben, unable to find the words to comfort Leslie, wrapped his arms around her, trying to shower her with the affection that she desperately needed right now, but Leslie pushed him off.

“Leslie-”

“I don’t know what to do, Ben. I’ve just started this amazing park project and you’re going off to run this political campaign firm and be wonderful and amazing like you always are and I’m going to be a pregnant lump behind you just trying to keep up with you, and you’ll have all these girls after you. Probably all tall and brunette and named Rebecca and have a great future, and you won’t have any interest in a fat, pregnant, short, me anymore!” Leslie choked out, hiccupping loudly as the tears carried on pouring down her face.

Ben pursed his lips as Leslie finished her rant. “Can I say something?”

Leslie swallowed back a sob and managed a nod.

“Okay, good. Just…wait there for a second; I’m not going anywhere. Well I’m going somewhere but…I’ll be back in like five seconds” Ben said nervously, and then hurried off into the bedroom, tripping over his feet as he staggered past.

Leslie took a deep breath in, trying to figure out what he was doing. Was he packing up and leaving her? This was technically his apartment. Would he kick her out of 7C? Where would she go? She supposed she could move back in with her mother, but there’d be a baby…

Oh God, she was having a baby.

Her breathing grew shallow as she frantically waited for Ben to come back. She was so consumed by thoughts of what was hypothetically going to happen that she didn’t notice Ben walk back into the room, standing in front of her with his hands behind his back.

“What are you doing?” Leslie asked, scanning his face for answers.

Ben didn’t say anything. Instead, he slowly got down on one knee.

Leslie let out a squeak, and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, what are you doing?”

“I’m thinking about my future” Ben answered, producing a small velvet box from behind his back, carefully opening it up and revealing a beautiful diamond ring.

“I was going to do this next week,” Ben explained, nervously looking down at the ring and then back up at Leslie. “On the 24th, that would have been a whole two years since I first laid eyes on you in the hallway. But, tonight it seemed right to do, right after you telling me you’re pregnant with my child.”

He took another deep breath, trying to steady himself. “Leslie Knope, will you marry me?”

Leslie was sobbing again, but managed to nod and cry out a ‘yes’. Ben got up, pulling her into his grasp and tightening his grip around her back. His lips met hers and the pair were soon locked in a passionate kiss.

After a few minutes, Ben pulled away, final managing to take her hand and slide the ring on her finger. Leslie sniffled as she looked at the sparkling diamond, and then back up at Ben.

“What about your job? I don’t want you not to take it because of me” Leslie choked out.

“We’ll work around that. If you don’t want me to go on any D.C trips then I won’t, they’ll understand” Ben told her.

“We’ll need a bigger apartment, with two bedrooms” Leslie carried on, looking around at their small apartment.

“Anything, Leslie. We’ll move anywhere, okay? As long as I can be with you and that you’re happy…you are happy, right?”

Leslie looked back into his warm, brown eyes. They reminded her of gooey brownies that had just come out of the oven and…no this wasn’t the time to think about brownies.

A soft smile cracked on her face. “Of course I am. I was just so scared when you came in and started talking about the job…I freaked out a little, I thought that you didn’t want this kind of commitment right now and-”

“Leslie, we’re 30. We live together; I’m ready to do it all, marriage, babies, everything” Ben said to her, unable to hide the smile on his face.

She had never been so relieved to hear those words come out of his mouth. And she pressed her lips back to his, craving the connection once again.

And in that moment she realised this was what she wanted too, and had wanted for well over a year now. Sure money was tight, but she’d be deputy director of the parks department before she knew it. And Ben would be a hotshot campaign manager again; money would be coming in fast before they knew it. 

But she knew one thing; she didn’t want to spend ages planning a wedding. She was Leslie Knope, she could easily plan a full blown wedding with flowers and place settings in a month tops, no problem. She just wanted to be married to Ben now.

“I want to get married as soon as we can” Leslie said as she pulled away. “I just…hate the idea of not being married to you. And I want to do it before I get too pregnant, is that okay?”

Ben eagerly nodded. “Anything for you” he said, kissing the tip of her nose and a hand dropping to her currently flat stomach.

“Anything for both of you.”


	12. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry comes to visit Ben at his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set before Leslie & Ben get together!
> 
> Thank you all so much for all the comments and kudos I have received so far. I'm so glad to hear that so many of you like this universe!

“This place is a dump,” Henry muttered as he looked out of the stained window. “How long do you have to be here for?”

“Just until Colquitt’s election bid ends in May” Ben replied. “Hopefully he’ll win and I’ll be back in D.C before I know it.”

Henry walked back round to the couch where Ben was resting and clapped him around the back. “I still can’t believe it. Little baby Benjamin, running off and running politician’s campaigns. It’s crazy! It’s like Ice Town never happened huh!”

Ben scoffed. “Yeah. Except for the fact that I still receive hate mail. Thanks for bringing those by the way,” he said, gesturing to the stack of letters on his coffee table.

Henry winced. “I thought they were birthday cards. But still, I can’t believe it. I mean this place is disgusting but you’re so successful. I’m proud of you, buddy.”

Ben grinned at his older brother, “Thanks.”

Henry had come two weeks after Ben’s birthday. He was staying in Indianapolis for work, but had extended his stay to see his younger brother. He had managed to score tickets to an Indiana Colts game through work and was going to take Ben as a belated birthday present.

Ben wasn’t too keen on football, he preferred basketball or baseball, but he couldn’t turn down Henry’s offer.

“We should get going soon,” Henry said, glancing at his watch. “I don’t want to hit traffic.”

Ben drained the rest of his beer and stood up. “Alright, I’ll get my coat.”

As he stood up there was a knock at his door, which distracted him. He walked over to the door and opened it to see Leslie standing in his doorway.

“Hi. Is this a bad time?”

“Oh…no not at all” Ben quickly said, gesturing her inside. “My brother is here though.”

“Hello there” Henry grinned, his eyes lighting up as Leslie walked in. “I’m Henry. Ben’s older brother.”

He walked over to Leslie and took her right hand, kissing it and causing Leslie to blush and giggle.

“I’m Leslie” she replied. “I didn’t know Ben had a brother.”

Henry frowned and turned to Ben. “You haven’t been telling people about me?”

Before Ben could respond, Henry had shot over to his side and had him in a headlock, giving his younger brother an aggressive noogie. 

“OW! Henry, cut it out!”

Ben managed to fight his way out of Henry’s grasp and stood back by Leslie. Henry just folded his arms across his chest and smirked at the two.

“So, what can I do you for?” Ben asked, turning away from Henry and rubbing the top of his head.

“Oh, I just came by to drop this off” Leslie replied, handing Ben a DVD case. Ben suddenly had horrible flashbacks of Leslie coming to him two nights ago asking to borrow Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom because Dave had never seen it. He begrudgingly handed his precious DVD over to Leslie. Not for Dave, for her.

“Thanks for letting us borrow it. I haven’t seen it in so long. I’m not sure if Dave liked it though. He fells asleep,” Leslie explained as she watched Ben tuck the DVD safely back in it’s place.

Ben couldn’t help but roll his eyes. How can someone fall asleep during that film, it was a fucking masterpiece! Still he forced a smile and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“It’s no problem, if you ever want to borrow anything else just let me know.”

Leslie gave Ben a wide grin. “I will, thank you. Are you guys heading out?” She asked, noting Henry in the background pulling on his coat.

“Yeah. We’ve got tickets to a Colts game” Ben replied.

“Oh! Have fun! Go Colts” Leslie cheered. She wished them both goodbye and told Henry it was nice to meet them, and closed the door behind her.

“Wow. It was like I was invisible.”

Ben turned back around to see henry standing right behind him with a big smirk on his face. Ben sighed and grabbed his coat.

“You like her! You’re smitten!” Henry cried out, smacking Ben on the arm.

“She’s got a boyfriend,” Ben quickly cut in. “She’s not interested.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “So? Maybe she feels the same way about you? She was giving off some strong vibes, I mean, usually when women are in a room with me they give off the same vibe, but this was all for you, man.”

Ben tugged on his coat with a grunt. “Nothing’s going to happen. Even if I’d like it to, it won’t. Her boyfriend’s a cop.”

Henry paused, “Oh.”

And then it sunk in.

“ _Ohhh_ ” Henry mumbled. His expression softening slightly. “Oh man, that must be hell for you.”

“It’s not great” Ben replied. “For my birthday she invited me round to hers and she made a cake. But he was there and he just kept…glaring at me. Like he knew.”

“He probably felt the same vibe.”

“Stop going on about the vibe!” Ben snapped. He tried to make it come across as aggressively as he could but it just made Henry laugh.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of here and another beer down your throat. I mean, personally, I think she likes you just as much as you like her. And one day you might run off and get married and have loads of babies with crazy hair,” Henry said as he ruffled Ben’s hair. “But today, we’ll just watch the game.”

“Alright” Ben said, as he opened the door and the two men left.

“Besides. I could be wrong” Henry mused as they walked towards the elevator. “You could hook up with a hot Colts cheerleader today. Then again…what would they ever see in you.”

Ben smacked Henry around the back of the head, causing him to yelp out in surprise.


	13. The Late Valentine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben celebrate Valentine's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised in the main A7C story I did I never touched on Valentine's Day, so this is that, because in the timeline Ben kisses Leslie on the 16th so this is pre-relationship.
> 
> Enjoy!

_14th February._

“Valentine’s sucks!” Leslie growled as she nibbled on a chocolate from the box in the middle of the coach.

“It’s just a day” Ben said, “you don’t have to celebrate it if you don’t want to.”

“It’s kind of hard when there’s hearts and flowers everywhere” Leslie sighed and leaned back, resting her head on the armrest and stretching her legs out.

Ben had been doing some late night work when Leslie knocked on his door, she was dressed in her pyjamas with a purple blanket wrapped around her, asking if she could come in, with her she had bought a box of chocolates that she got from Ann.

“Ron says that birthdays were invented by Hallmark. I’m starting to think the same about Valentine’s” Leslie mumbled as she picked up a caramel chocolate and popped it into her mouth.

Ben smirked. “Why are you so bitter about Valentine’s?”

“It’s super easy to be bitter about it when you’re single” Leslie explained, “February 13th is what it’s all about. Galentine’s Day. It should be a national holiday.”

“Oh so that’s what you were doing yesterday,” Ben said as he remembered seeing Leslie leave her apartment armed with several presents and dressed all in pink.

“It’s a day to celebrate your lady friends” Leslie said, and then frowned.

“Dave forgot about Valentine’s last year. He remembered halfway through the day and had to rush to pick up a bunch of flowers at the gas station. I mean he made it up to me and we went out for dinner but…I would have liked him to have made more of an effort” she sighed again and sat up a little.

“The year before that I went out with this guy…he was called Justin. We broke up on Valentine’s because he turned into a bit of a douche,” Leslie pursed her lips and shrugged. “I guess I just have bad experiences with Valentine’s.”

Ben gave her a gentle smile. “Well at least this year you have beer and chocolates.” 

He saw the smallest smile crack on Leslie’s face and she nodded. “Yeah. That’s true. Thanks for letting me come over. I’m surprised you aren’t out for the evening with anyone.”

“Are you kidding?” Ben chuckled, “there is no one.”

“Oh” Leslie mumbled, but the way she said that one word made Ben feel like she was lining him up to find out if he was dating.

“You want another?” He asked, gesturing to the empty beer bottle she had just set on the table.

“Please,” Leslie smiled at him as Ben walked over to the kitchen.

~~  
 _15th February._

Leslie almost stepped on the letter as she walked out of her apartment the next morning. On her doorstep was a red envelope with her name in elegant writing on the front.

She tore it open excitedly and held the letter in her hands; it looked like it had been typed on the computer.

_Leslie,_

_There are no words to express how you make me feel. Seeing you makes my heart beat twice as fast and my head spin. Not even the brightest star in the sky could compare to your radiant beauty._

_My heart longs for you. You are wonderful, you are perfect, and I wish you were mine._

_Happy belated Valentine’s Day._

_Love, your secret admirer._

Leslie stared at the letter in disbelief. She had to read it five more times just to let it sink in.

Holy crap, this was for her, this heartfelt, beautiful letter was for her. And she would cherish it forever.

But who was it from?

She was considering the options of her mailman and the guy on the fifth floor who always smiled at her when Ben walked out of his apartment.

“What have you got there?”

“A Valentine” Leslie almost squealed, holding the letter out for Ben to see. 

He studied the letter and grinned. “Wow. Someone’s got it pretty bad. Do you know who it is?”

Leslie shook her head ‘no’. “Not a clue.”

“Maybe it’s Ron?”

“Ew! Ben! He’s like a father figure, that’s weird!” Leslie said, nudging him on the shoulder.

“Well, whoever it is, sounds like he’s head over heels with you,” he gave her a slight nod and walked towards the elevator.

Leslie went back into her apartment and placed the letter on her table, she re-read it one last time, and then it hit her.

Her mouth dropped open and she turned on her heel, sprinting out of her apartment, just in time to see the doors close.

“Oh, Ben” she whispered.

Ben rode the elevator down, his heart pumping wildly. Did she know? He wanted to make it fairly cryptic but not so much that she would never gather that it was him that left the note.

He even typed it out on his computer so that she wouldn’t be able to tell by his handwriting. She was so good at noticing tiny little details she would have guessed it straight away.

Ben had tried to look at her face as she showed him the letter, she was so happy, so in awe of having something for a holiday she didn’t care so much for. And he made her feel that.

He clenched his fist. The next time he saw her he’d do it, no more playing around. 

He was going to kiss her.


	14. "Watermelon with peanut butter sounds so good right now"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie craves weird food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A great pregnancy prompt sent in by supervanillabear31. I had to bring back the pregnancy that I announced a few chapters ago, so I hope you enjoy!

Leslie was lying on the couch, reading chapter 6 of ‘The Healthy Pregnancy Book’ and disagreeing with every paragraph about the importance of eating vegetables when you are pregnant, when her stomach rumbled loudly.

She sat up a little and frowned, looking at the clock on the wall. It was way past lunchtime and she hadn’t eaten since about four hours ago when Ben made her chocolate and banana pancakes.

Ben was sat at the desk not too far away. He had been at his new job for about two months now and had been working so hard, even today on a Sunday he was typing away at his laptop, taking phone calls and booking interviews for Hartwell’s congressional campaign.

He was her amazing, taut, elf-like fiancé. And he worked so hard, a little too hard to note have noticed that his baby mama was going hungry.

She looked back at the book for a brief second, looking at a picture of a watermelon and licked her lips. Okay, watermelon sounded really good right now.

Watermelon…with peanut butter.

Leslie was salivating at the thought. She folded the page of the book and got up from the couch, walking over to Ben’s desk and leaning against it slightly.

His eyes shifted from the computer to her and a soft smile spread across his face. “Hi. Are you okay?”

“I’m great” Leslie said, “but I’m hungry. So hungry.”

Ben looked at his watch and his eyes widened. “Good lord, sorry I didn’t realise what time it was.” Since announcing her pregnancy, Ben had refused to let her cook anything or as so much lift a finger. He insisted that he prepared all her meals for her, no matter how busy he was. She just got into the habit now of telling him that she was hungry.

“What do you want?” Ben asked, closing his laptop lid and leaning on the back of his chair.

“Well, it’s going to sound weird but…watermelon with peanut butter sounds _so_ great right now” Leslie said, stressing her words.

Ben looked a little confused, but shook his head with a chuckle. He pressed his cheek to her small bump and kissed it several times, rubbing his thumb across it.

“Why are you making your mama crave weird food?” he said into her belly, and Leslie laughed softly.

“I’m just relieved I’m not craving calzones,” Leslie said as Ben stood up.

“Yet” Ben said, pointing a finger at her bump. “That kid is a Wyatt, give it time. I guarantee you will be begging for me to make you a calzone.”

Leslie cackled as Ben pulled on his coat. He gave her a kiss goodbye and one last kiss to her belly before walking out of the door. Leslie smiled softly and walked back to the couch, putting her feet on the coffee table and opening the book again.

Her stomach rumbled again, and she frowned.

Crap. They had spoken about calzones so much that all she could now think about was a folded pizza, with tangy marinara sauce and perfectly seasoned meat…

“Fuck” she hissed, grabbing her phone and calling Ben.

“Hey, babe? Is it too late to change my order?” She asked, gnawing at her thumb.


	15. “I just got out of the shower, I can’t dance. What if my towel falls off?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie plays some of Ben's REM vinyls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt sent in by PawneeWafflesBen.

Leslie thumbed through Ben’s record collection, trying to find something to play. He had recently purchased a new record player, and his vinyl collection that was mainly for decoration, could now actually be played. 

Ben had just emerged from the shower while she was deciding, a towel hanging from his hips and his hair wet and sticking upwards. He grinned and padded across the floor to her, leaving a trail of damp footprints in his wake.

“You know, anything by REM is a good shout,” Ben said, and Leslie grinned.

“I was going to put on the one that I got you” she said, “but I didn’t want to scratch it.”

“You won’t” Ben said kindly, “here, why don’t you put this one on instead, side B is pretty good.”

He pulled out an album entitled ‘Out of Time’ and handed it to her. Leslie looked it over and smiled, yes this one would be just perfect.

Just as what Ben said, she carefully placed it onto the record player, making sure she was on side b and lowered the needle onto the record; soon the melodic tune of ‘Shiny Happy People’ filled apartment 7C.

“Oh I love this song,” Leslie said happily, swaying dreamily to the music.

“I figured you might” Ben grinned. He was about to walk into the bedroom to dry off when Leslie reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back and swinging his arm in time with the music.

“Dance with me” she exclaimed happily.

Ben looked a little surprised. “I just got out of the shower, I can’t dance. What if my towel falls off?”

“Then you will be naked” Leslie teased, still swaying her hips and refusing to let go.

Ben couldn’t help but smile, he really had to in this situation. He had the best girlfriend who recently moved in with him, and she was currently dancing to one of his all time favourite feel good songs.

He let go of the hand that was secured around his towel and took Leslie’s other hand, soon the pair were dancing around his apartment, giggling and laughing as Ben spun Leslie under his arm.

Thing were just perfect right now, and sure enough Ben’s towel soon unravelled and fell onto the floor, leaving Ben butt naked. They paused and laughed for a moment, before carrying on dancing until the song played out.


	16. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has money worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 word prompt sent in by an anon on tumblr. I accidentally wrote more than 100 words so decided to post it as a drabble.

“Please don’t worry, it will be fine.”

“It’s not going to be fine,” Ben stammered. “Our income is not good enough to move out into our own place and take care of a baby, there’s no way around it. Oh god, what have we done?”

Leslie sighed and pushed herself up from the couch. As well as being five months pregnant, she had to constantly remind Ben that everything was going to be ok financially.

“We’ll stay here for a year or two,” Leslie said kindly as she tugged Ben’s hands, leading him away from the computer and wrapping her arms around him. She hugged him tightly and her belly pressed gently into Ben’s flat stomach.

“I don’t want to leave here yet anyway,” Leslie said. “What’s the point of moving now anyway? There’s plenty of space for a baby, plus I’d like our son to know where his parents met and fell in love.”

Ben opened his mouth and Leslie quickly pressed her finger to his lips. “It’s going to be fine, I promise.”

She considered running into the bedroom to get the head scratcher that Ben had bought a few days after she found out she was pregnant. But Ben’s arms circled around her, his hands running down her back.

They didn’t need to talk; Leslie knew that Ben just needed some reassurance that everything was going to be just fine. She knew it would be, they were going to be great parents. And they loved their little apartment; it was so much better now that Ron had gotten rid of the mould problem.

She kissed his cheek. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered softly, and Ben squeezed her middle.

“I love you,” Ben murmured as they pulled away, he dropped a hand to her stomach and felt their little boy kick under his palm.

“And I love you too, little Robbie.”

After finding out the sex of the baby, they had decided on the name Robert, after Leslie's father. Ben usually pressed his lips to Leslie's belly and would call their baby Robert, but this was the first time Leslie had heard Ben call their baby Robbie. 

Leslie placed her hand on top of Ben’s. “I like that… Robbie. It’s cute.”

Ben grinned. “He’ll be Robbie when he’s our angel. But Robert when he’s in trouble.”

Leslie cackled and leaned into Ben’s chest. “That sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would like to prompt something for this universe, come over to my tumblr, I love getting requests - @sakurablossomstorm-blog


	17. The Morning After.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Leslie the morning after she finds out she's pregnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompts: "I would've had breakfast ready, but you were sleeping on my arm, and I didn't want to wake you," and "I don't know what's wrong, okay? I'm just... really tired." Both sent in by Supervanillabear31.

A baby.

They were having a baby.

A tiny human was growing inside of Leslie right now.

Ben still couldn’t believe it. Yesterday seemed like a dream that was too good to be woken up from. All in a day he found out that he was going to be a Father and then had gotten engaged.

It was insane. But a day he would never forget.

Right now he was in pure baby bliss. Leslie was fast asleep on his arm and Ben didn’t want to wake her up. He had planned to get up and cook her breakfast in bed, but that would have to wait. She was pregnant, and most definitely needed her sleep.

Instead, his thoughts travelled backed to the past week, trying to see any signs that would have told him sooner that they were expecting. 

He remembered last Thursday, when Leslie came home in a bad mood. She sulked at the kitchen table and kept snapping at Ben, who was just trying to make the situation better for her.

“Right. What’s going on? Why are you so cranky?” Ben had asked, his arms folded.

“ _I’m not cranky,_ ” Leslie hissed through gritted teeth, and Ben raised an eyebrow, that eyebrow that told her to tell him what was going on or go lie down and come back in an hour after a nap.

Leslie sighed and swiped at her glassy eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong, okay? I’m just…really tired.”

Ben smiled sympathetically. She had been working so hard on turning that disgusting pit next to the apartment complex into a beautiful park that she had worked herself into the ground. Literally. Her fingernails were caked in dirt. What the hell had she been doing out there?

“Okay, you need a bath and then snuggles in bed,” Ben said, tugging her up from the table and into the bathroom.

He remembered watching her strip in front of him after pouring her a bubble bath, complete with sweet smelling vanilla candles and a glass of wine…he immediately regretted giving her the wine, but he didn’t know at the time. How was anyone to know?

His eyes had scanned her over, like he usually did when she was standing naked in front of him. He couldn’t remember seeing any signs of a bump. But it was far too early to notice anything. Even last night when he had kissed her belly multiple times it didn’t feel any different.

It didn’t matter right now. Nothing mattered, other than his fiancé and beautiful unborn child. 

Finally he felt a shifting next to him, and Leslie turned over, staring at him groggily.

“Good morning,” Ben said sweetly. “I would’ve had breakfast ready but you were sleeping on my arm and I didn’t want to wake you. I can get started now if you want?”

Leslie didn’t say anything. Instead, Ben watched as her face turned a bright shade of green, and she covered her mouth frantically as she jumped out of the bed and towards the bathroom.

Ben blinked as he registered what had just happened. Morning sickness. Of course. It wasn’t going to be just cute baby bumps and feeling their baby kick. No, there were the worst parts of it to consider, this being one of them.

But they were happy. And even after Ben followed Leslie into the bathroom to make sure she was ok, she looked up at him with a pained smile on her face, proclaiming that morning sickness meant a healthy baby.

It was going to be a hard journey, but they’d manage.


	18. We Filled in The Pit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie builds a park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had planned for this to be a little spin off. But every idea that I came up with just seemed a bit blah. So we have a small drabble instead! Enjoy!

_Leslie was out of breath by the time she had run up seven flights of stairs and into Apartment 7C. She leaned over a chair taking in long gasps of air. She would have taken the elevator, but it was taking far too long._

_“What’s going on?” Ben asked warily as he watched her breath in and out, wondering if he should get her a paper bag._

_“I did it,” Leslie wheezed out, looking up. “The zoning board… approved…park… pit’s…going.”_

_Ben jumped up to get her a glass of water and handed it to her. Leslie accepted it and drank it all in one gulp. She let out a few more raspy breaths and looked up at Ben with a smile._

_“Isn’t that great news?” she asked eagerly._

_Ben frowned, “uh, sure, but I didn’t actually hear anything you said. You were too busy nearly having an asthma attach.”_

_Leslie rolled her eyes and punched him gently on the arm. “The zoning board approved the plans. We can build a park in the pit outside. It’s happening, Ben!”_

_Ben’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s amazing, baby. I’m so proud of you.”_

_He lifted her into his arms, spinning her around in circles until they were both dizzy and giggly._

Leslie smiled fondly at the memory. It was well over a year ago when it happened, and now the park had been built and tomorrow was it’s official opening.

However, it would be bittersweet, she thought as she rubbed her expanded belly. Tomorrow would also be her last day before she went on maternity leave.

Leslie sighed; she wasn’t ready to go on maternity leave yet. She still had so much she wanted to do. But Ben and everyone told her it was for the best. A month’s rest before the baby came along was what most women did, so she should too.

She also thought about Ben. He had been whisked away to Washington for some important meeting that just so happened to be taking place tomorrow of all days. He’d miss the opening; he wouldn’t get a private tour of the park that she built. As of tomorrow it would be occupied by children climbing on the monkey bars and giggling as they ascended down the slide.

She really wished that he were here with her.

Her feet crunched under the gravel as she walked towards the park. It was dark, but there were soft lights around so she could see where she was going.

A bench stood in the middle, close by a few trees that Leslie refused to have torn down. She wanted somewhere for parents to sit and relax while they watched their children play. Carefully she lowered herself into the wooden seat with a groan. Robert was occupying a lot more space now and had resided on her bladder, which meant frequent toilet trips and killer lower back pain.

But, right now, she just wanted to bask in the glory of her work, before tomorrow.

She closed her eyes and sighed. This really was her hoover dam. 

“How did I know you’d be out here?”

Leslie’s eyes snapped open and she turned around. Ben was standing a few feet away from her, hands in his pockets and grinning at her.

“Ben,” Leslie exhaled. “I thought…you’re meeting?”

“I told them something came up and I had to come back,” Ben said with a shrug. “I left them with my notes, they can cover for me and I’ll just have to put in some extra hours next week, no big deal. I didn’t want to miss this,” Ben said as he sat next to her, first kissing her lips and then dropping down to her belly, mumbling sweetly to their baby and kissing her bump.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” Ben said after a while. “It’s freezing.”

“I’m fine,” Leslie said. “So is Robbie, he’s been kicking like mad since this afternoon.”

Ben chuckled and rubbed her belly. Despite her telling him she was fine, he still shrugged off his coat and draped it around her shoulders. Leslie whispered a ‘thank you’ and nuzzled against his shoulder.

“You did great on this, babydoll,” Ben said sweetly as he looked around. “I can’t believe you turned this pit into a park in a year. I’ve known some projects like this to go on for years.”

“This wasn’t an ordinary project,” Leslie smiled. “This had me in charge of it.”

“Of course,” Ben grinned, kissing the top of her head. “You’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“And don’t forget it,” Leslie replied, and then sighed. “I don’t want to go on maternity leave tomorrow, Ben.”

She heard him suck in air. “I know. But it’s for the best. It’s the rest you and Robbie need before the big day arrives. I know it’s not ideal and you’d like to work up until your due date. But do this for me? I worry about you both.”

Leslie couldn’t say no to that. She buried her face deeper into the crook of Ben’s neck and inhaled his cologne. “Alright, I’ll do it for you and Robbie.”

“Thank you,” Ben said as he rubbed her belly gently. “Are you sure you’re warm enough?”

“We’re fine, Ben. Stop worrying,” Leslie said, and then winced. “I do need to go to the bathroom though.”

Ben was immediately by her side, hands outstretched so she could grasp on and he helped her up. Soon, Leslie was slowly waddling out of the park with Ben by her side.

“You have a cute waddle,” Ben chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her to keep her steady.

Leslie snorted. “Leave my waddle alone.”

Ben just leaned in and kissed the top of her head again, causing Leslie to stop and turn to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in as close as possible until her belly got in the way. 

Ben hummed as their lips closed in once more, brushing in the moonlight. He couldn’t have been happier, standing in the park that his fiancé helped build, with their child growing inside of her. Everything was just perfect.

He pulled away, not before kissing the tip of her nose. “You said you needed to pee. Let’s get you back inside.”

Leslie gave a dreamy nod, and her hand reached back out for Ben’s as they made their way back to the building.

“I really hope that raccoons don’t build nests in the new park,” Leslie said as they walked into the elevator. “They ruined Ramsett Park, I’m not letting them touch this.”

Ben nodded in agreement. “Leave it to Animal Control. I’m sure they’ll take care of any raccoon problems.”

Leslie forced a laugh. “Ben, have you met anyone that works in Animal Control? They are all crazy stoners. I might as well do it myself.”

Ben rolled his eyes as the elevator opened to their floor, and he steered her towards the apartment. “You can do that after you come back from maternity leave and when you don’t need someone to help you stand up.”

Leslie growled at that comment.


	19. Frozen Vegetables

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: "Let's go to the supermarket again and take a very long time staring at the frozen vegetables." sent in by SuperVanillaBear31 on tumblr.

“Bennn,” Leslie whined, fanning herself with a magazine.

“I know it sucks, baby,” Ben said sympathetically to his seven month pregnant wife. “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now.”

“No. You don’t,” Leslie replied coldly. “You don’t have a really hot and heavy baby pressing down on all your organs on the hottest day of the year. Seriously, before I got pregnant why didn’t you warn me that all Wyatt babies are massive and stupidly heavy to carry?”

Ben was about to counter with the fact that he was actually born a couple pounds underweight, but thought better of it. Leslie was already super irritable, and the heat was just making it worse.

Instead he just nodded and fiddled some more with the desk fan that was situated in front of her, making sure she was getting as much use out of it as possible.

“Why does it have to be so warm?” Leslie whined again. “Why does pregnancy make me so sweaty? None of this is fair. I’m supposed to be glowing, not sweating.”

“I think you look beautiful,” Ben said, kissing her cheek sweetly. “And you’re doing so great.”

He paused for a moment. “Hey, let’s go to the supermarket again and take a very long time staring at the frozen vegetables,” he suggested.

They had taken to going to the store together and loitering around the frozen food section just to stay cool. Leslie pretending that she didn’t know whether the baby was craving peas or carrots the most. When in reality, the very thought of eating vegetables was making her feel nauseous. But they still provided a wonderfully cooling purpose.

Leslie shook her head. “No, I’m good. My feet kind of hurt.”

Ben thought for a moment and got up to walk into the kitchen. Once there, he pulled some ice cubes from the tray in the freezer and wrapped them in a dish cloth. 

“This’ll be cold, so get ready,” Ben told her, and placed the cloth on the back of Leslie’s neck.

She gasped in surprise, but the sound was soon replaced by a contented sigh.

“Oh, that’s perfect, that feels so good,” Leslie breathed out, reaching back and holding the dish cloth in place.

“Yeah? Does that make you a little happier?” Ben asked, walking back around and sitting down on the couch next to her.

Leslie nodded and rolled her head back so it rested on the back of the couch. Ben curled up next to her and placed his hand protectively on her bump.

“You know,” Leslie mumbled, “I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but I hate summer.”

Ben just chuckled. “I know, babydoll.”


	20. A House with a Big Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben + bath time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little something I wrote for this universe. I hope you all like it.

Ben had gotten to know Leslie’s facial expressions pretty well during her pregnancy.

There was her wide-eyed look that she got whenever the baby kicked hard. There was the scrunched-up face she made whenever her back hurt, and she would puff out her cheeks whenever a bad bout of morning sickness would hit.

But this expression Ben hadn’t seen before. He watched Leslie in the bath, surrounded by bubbles as her face contorted slightly, eyes shut, and a soft humming noise came from her lips. From under the bubbles, Ben could see her hand moving across her belly.

“Are you ok?” Ben asked, he was perched on the edge of the tub watching her, just in case anything happened. They had only three weeks left until her due date, anything could happen.

“I’m fine,” Leslie sighed out. “He’s being so restless.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” Ben said, reaching his hand under the water until it met with her bump, he carefully rubbed his hand across it, hoping that the movement would calm the baby.

“Do you want anything?” he asked. “Tea? Milk? More bubbles?”

Leslie rolled her head back. “I want you to get in with me.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? But I thought this was your bath time.”

“It can be both of our bath time,” Leslie said, opening one eye to look at him. “Plus, Robbie settled down as soon as you started rubbing my belly. I need you here to stop him from trying to break out – Alien style.”

Ben grinned and stood up. He pulled off his shirt, closely followed by his pants and boxers. He helped Leslie sit up and carefully climbed in behind her. Leslie sighed contently as she lay back into Ben’s chest and let his arms wrap around her, his large hands finding her bump once again.

“I can’t believe how big you’ve gotten,” Ben said, his hands coming to rest on the lower part of her belly.

Leslie growled. “That’s just a nice way of saying ‘look how fat you’ve gotten.’”

“Not at all,” Ben insisted. “It means Robbie’s growing well, and you’ve done everything you can to help that. You’re still small, I can still throw you around…albeit a little gentler than before, but still.”

Leslie giggled. “Fine, I’ll take it as a compliment then.”

Ben kissed the top of her head. “Good.”

They relaxed in the warm water in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Ben looked back at Leslie, for a moment he thought that she might have fallen asleep, until her eyes opened again.

“What’re you thinking about?”

“The future,” Leslie murmured. “I keep imagining us in a house with a big garden, and Robbie just running around outside. It’s perfect. I really can’t wait until he’s born.”

Ben smiled softly. “Neither can I.”

He knew that they’d have to leave Apartment 7C soon. They were going to stay there for a year or so, just to save money. But the apartment was too small to raise a child. Soon they’d have to move.

And Ben had it all planned out. A few days ago, Ron confided into him about a plot of land he’d purchased with his life savings. He had set up his own construction company and was going to build several houses. One had been reserved for Leslie and Ben.

He grinned. Leslie wouldn’t find out yet, he’d wait until the drawings and plans were finalised. It would take a while to build, but as soon as it was ready, they’d move in.

“You’re thinking too much, I can hear you from here.”

Ben smirked. “I’m just thinking about what you said about Robbie bursting out of your stomach. That’d make a cool maternity shot.”

Leslie splashed him with some of the water with a loud scoff. “I can’t believe I’m having your baby.”

“Better believe it, there’s only three weeks left,” Ben reminded her.

Leslie hummed in agreement, her hands resting on top of Ben’s. “Three weeks left.”

Ben rested his head against Leslie’s and closed his eyes. She’d get that house with the big garden soon.


End file.
